28 QUOTES FROM 28 WISE, BLACK WOMEN

I told myself today I wouldn’t let the day end without at least acknowledging a part of my identity-my black identity. Black History month kinda went something like this for me-I posted a few pictures of public figures that resonated with me (Tupac, Michelle Obama, Trayvon Martin,  Michael Jackson and Emmett Till), I wore my nice, printed skirt to church,…and that was me channeling the “black” me. In a way, that’s sad. My own lack of my own identity…the lack of acknowledging my own history…the lack of acknowledging a grander purpose than “me”…Well, I believe it plays into what’s prominent in our society-the downfall of our people, the downfall of our women…the downfall of our black women. And for this, readers…I am sorry. Forgive me? On this night…this very last night of Black History Month…at 11:33pm…I see you. And I hope you see me. And below are some quotes from 28 kick-ass, smart, intelligent, gorgeous, fierce, bold, intelligent, sexy, magical, amazing, WISE, BLACK WOMEN. From my fingers to your hearts, let these be more than just quotes…more than just words. February was not only a month to reflect on black history…it was a month for love…Self-love. So, here you go. I broke my own heart this month and these quotes below…these quotes from WISE, BLACK WOMEN, allowed me to ignite the process in gathering the pieces.
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1. 1. “She ready!” – Tiffany Haddish


2. 2. “I am strong. I am powerful. I am beautiful. If I will it….I can have it all”- Regina Hall, “Girls Trip” (2017)


3. 3. “When they go low, we go high”- Michelle Obama


4. 4. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness”-Oprah Winfrey


5. 5. “Them jeans, they must be uptight mama…You need some get right mama…And go Gina, go Gina” – SZA, “Go Gina”


6. 6. “Foolish of me to compete when you cheat with loose women…It took me some time, but now I moved on…Because I realized I got Me, myself, and I, that’s all I got in the end….That’s what I found out….And it ain’t no need to cry, I took a vow that from now on I’m gon’ my own best friend” – Beyonce “Me, Myself, & I”


7. 7. “You heard she gon’ do what from who? That’s not a reliable source. So tell me, have you seen her? Let me wrap my weave up. I’m the trap Selena ¡Dame más gasolina! Skrrt!” – Cardi B


8. 8. “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” -Audre Lorde


9. 9. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde


10. 10. “‘Cause I love you just how you are…Hope you never find out who I really am
    ‘Cause you’ll never love me….You’ll never love me, you’ll never love me…But I believe you when you say it like that”- SZA, “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”


11. 11. “I am Moana of Mata Nui. You will board my boat and restore the heart to Tafiti.” – “Moana” (2016)


12. 12. “There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are” – , “Where You Are”, Moana (2016)


13. 13. “I’m not the average girl from your video, and I ain’t built like a supermodel. But I learned to love myself unconditionally…Because I am a queen”- India Arie, “Video”


14. 14. “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow. ” – Alice Walker


15. 15. “A crown, if it hurts us, is not worth wearing.” – Pearl Bailey


16. 16. “Give light and people will find the way.” – Ella Baker


17. 17. “I need to see my own beauty and to continue to be reminded that I am enough, that I am worthy of love without effort, that I am beautiful, that the texture of my hair and that the shape of my curves, the size of my lips, the color of my skin, and the feelings that I have are all worthy and okay.”- Tracee Ellis Ross


18. 18. “Here is my wish and my desire and my pledge as well: that we remember our true nature and our womanhood. That we own and know that we are more than our bodies and yet our bodies are these sacred, beautiful, rhythmic houses for us.” – Tracee Ellis Ross


19. 19. “You cannot let your father’s actions define your life. You get to decide what kind of king you want to be.” – Lupita Nyong-o (aka “Nakia”), “Black Panther” (2018)


20. 20. “So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say “Me too” again.” – Oprah Winfrey, Golden Globes, 2018


21. 21. “We are women who marched from cotton fields into fields of medicine, entertainment, and the White House”- Jada Pinkett Smith


22. 22. “I don’t know everything. I know a fraction of what there is to know and I don’t think I will ever know everything, but it’s important to me to constantly challenge myself, to understanding different viewpoints, really understanding nuance in topics, so I can feel qualified in what I say, so I’m not preaching falsely of what I’m unaware of.” – Yara Shahidi


23. 23. “It’s handled!” – Kerry Washington, Scandal


24. 24. “I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.” -Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise”


25. 25. “Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made.” – Gabby Douglas


26. 26. “We all have to let go of the Prince Charming complex and realize he doesn’t necessarily exist in the package we assume he’ll come in.” – Gabrielle Union


27. 27. “Don’t take no wooden nickel”- Kimberly McCullough Davis (My Aunt)


28. 28. “Shoot for the moon…and you’ll ALWAYS land among the stars.” – Bobbie Louden (My Grandmother).

Congratulations. We made it to March 1st, my friend…and if you’re reading this…you’re growing, by the second…by the minute…by the hour. And I don’t know what February was like for you, I don’t know what you went through..but take these quotes, say these quotes, BELIEVE these quotes…and know you were NOT built to quit. You…were…built…to…win. Stay magical. Be magical. WIN.